A Patient Man (2019)

[pensive music plays]
[car horn honks]
-[woman] Where is your friend?
-Sorry?
Your friend.
You two always travel together.
I don't know.
He's probably at home, I guess.
He's very nice.
He's very funny.
Yeah, he is.
[somber music plays]
[alarm goes off]
[soft music plays]
[pensive music plays]
[PA] The next stop
will be 48th Street.
[hiss]
[PA] Metro center-bound train.
[somber music plays]
[pensive music plays]
Oh, my God!
It's so good to see you.
It's good to see you, too.
[sighs]
Let's not have
to call HR today, okay?
Well, listen,
if there's anything you need,
you let me know, okay?
-Thanks.
-I mean it, Tom.
Sometimes
bad things just happen.
There's nothing
we can do about that.
I'll try to keep that in mind.
-Tom, hey.
-Hey, George.
-Welcome back.
-Thanks.
Good to see you.
Yeah. Rode to work, huh?
-Yeah.
-Oh, good for you.
That's great exercise, huh?
-Cardio.
-[chuckles]
All right, come on.
Not much has changed
since you've been out.
-You know this place.
-Yep.
Linda just had
a cataract removed.
-Oh, wow.
-Gross.
Getting old is the worst.
-Oh, Jeff had his baby.
-Oh, really?
Yeah. A boy.
I had forgotten about that.
Yeah.
Hey, Tom.
Hey, good to see you, man.
I'm so glad you're back.
Sorry about what happened, man.
Uh, thanks, Rami.
That's nice of you to say.
Yeah.
Nice bike. Old school.
Got it used.
Yeah, we got a good one.
You might wanna tuck your pants
into your socks, though.
You'll ruin
fewer pants that way.
Life hack.
-Good tip.
-Yeah.
-[Tom] Thanks, Rami.
-Yeah, yeah.
George, I really appreciate
you keeping a place here for me.
It means a lot.
[George]
It's the least I could do.
Oh, I almost forgot to tell you.
Roger is retiring.
Oh, really? When?
Today's his last day.
We're having a thing for him
before he leaves.
Well, good for him.
[George] Yeah, it is.
Not great for us, though.
He's gonna be hard to replace.
I'm sure you'll find somebody.
[sighs]
[people talking indistinctively]
Roger's been emailing me
all week about the party.
He picked out these hats.
Retirement fantasies.
He's probably been thinking
about this moment for years.
This cake is really good.
Hey, Rami,
have any of your clients
worked with the law firm
Bauer, Vincent--
Parks, & Smith.
Uh, maybe.
-Why do you ask?
-I'm just curious.
Their name popped up
on something I was looking into.
Oh, yeah,
they do a lot of corporate law,
got a big
international division.
Yeah, I actually mentioned them
in my blog the other day.
I wrote a post about
international shipping and--
Customs.
Yeah. You read my blog?
I got a lot of free time lately.
-Oh.
-Thanks for the party, Rachel.
I-- I really appreciate it.
-I hope you are enjoying it.
-Oh, I am.
-[Roger chuckles]
-[Rachel chuckles]
-So, any big plans?
-[Roger] Yes, actually.
My wife and I just bought
a little place in Connecticut.
Our two boys are both working
in New York now,
and this way we'll get to spend
more time with the grandkids.
There's a pond
for them to fish in
and lots of room
for them to run around in.
-Sounds really nice, Roger.
-[Roger] Thanks.
I'm so glad you're back, Tom.
We really missed you
around here.
Thanks.
You know,
George is looking to promote
someone to replace him.
Yeah, he mentioned
something about that.
Yeah, yeah.
We've been talking about it.
I think I sort
of have it locked up.
-Nice.
-Yeah.
[pensive music plays]
[beeping]
[somber music plays]
[car horn honking]
[PA] The next stop
will be 59th Street.
How's it going?
Great.
[hiss]
[PA] Metro center-bound train.
Nice helmet.
Thanks.
You've been riding
the train for very long?
Actually, no.
I'm pretty new to it.
-You?
-Nah, not too long.
I gotta say,
I do not care for it.
It's not too bad.
Beats traffic.
[man] It's like a moving DMV.
Just another place
where people sit
and ignore each other.
You hate it so much,
why do you take the train?
I don't know.
Actually, that's not true.
I do know. I kind of have to.
Did you lose a bet or something?
Yeah, or something.
[PA] The next stop
will be Market Street.
-Take it easy.
-You too.
[PA] Metro center-bound train.
[hiss]
[mysterious music plays]
[man] So, May and June
are looking pretty good
when compared
to this time last year,
but that doesn't take
into account
a variety of other factors.
Shipping rates
are a little higher,
but shipping efficiency
is way up,
which more
than counterbalances that.
Majority of our clients
are actually shipping
significantly less product
in this time last year,
but they're using
our services quite a bit more.
We're seeing a 17% increase
in billing fees
for the month of May,
and as much as 21% for June.
And the difference can be found
in a backlog of orders.
A lot of our manufacturers
are actually expecting an uptick
in activity in the next four
to six months
and they're gearing up
accordingly.
[George] Sounds good, Jeff.
Thanks everyone.
Hey, you got a sec?
Hey, George. What's up?
Well...
[sighs]
You know we're still looking
to replace Roger.
Yeah, yeah. How's that going?
Fine, I guess.
I'm really hoping
to move somebody up,
promote from within.
I think that's a great idea.
It could be a real opportunity
here for someone.
Yeah, sounds like it.
It could be
a real opportunity for you.
I thought Rami
had that all locked up.
I like to weigh my options some.
I think you'd be good at it.
You've been here a long time.
You worked your way up.
You know I think
the world of you.
Uh, I appreciate it,
I really do.
Um, I just got back
and I feel like
I'm just settling in here so--
Maybe the timing isn't perfect,
but could be good for you.
Could help you
put some things behind you.
Just think about it.
I will. Thank you.
That's very nice of you.
No, it's selfish really.
I'm just hoping
you'll stick around for a while.
[chuckles]
[somber music plays]
[alarm goes off]
[pensive music plays]
[somber music plays]
[engine revvs]
[car horn honks]
And when the windows
are rolled up, you don't...
smell the garbage.
You don't hear the trucks
and the yelling.
And the creepy guy
with the face tattoos
doesn't seem as close.
I recently started taking
the train to work,
and having a bike
makes it easier.
What made you start
taking the train?
I haven't been inside a car
in four months.
On purpose?
I was in a car accident.
It was pretty bad.
[therapist] Are you afraid
to get back in a car?
Something like that, I guess.
What do you think
will happen if you do?
[Tom] Anything could happen.
You know, people
are constantly making decisions
throughout the day.
Usually they're low stakes.
You know,
what shirt am I gonna wear?
What am I gonna have for lunch?
Right.
But on the rare occasion
and the time it takes you
to realize you've made
a poor decision,
your life is some new terrible,
different life.
Are you interested
in getting back in a car?
[Tom] I don't know.
I just don't wanna feel
like this anymore.
[ambulance siren wailing]
[paramedic]
Do you know where you are?
Do you know
how you got this way?
What's your name?
You're all right.
We got you.
[crossing bell ringing]
Hey, man.
Hey, it's you.
Yeah, how's it going?
It's fine.
You see these guys over here?
-Yeah.
-They're together, right?
Together? I don't know. Maybe.
Yeah. Look
they're standing in a pack.
They're basically
all wearing the same suit.
It's like a uniform.
Obviously, these guys
know each other.
Okay.
One of them
went through the trouble
of organizing some sort of,
I don't know,
office commuter's situation.
[Tom] Right.
And they're all
just standing around
looking at their phones.
-What should they be doing?
-Chatting.
You know, bantering.
Giving a personal anecdote.
But all they're doing
is looking at videos
of a guy getting tased.
Or a cat with a bow tie.
[chuckling] Yeah, sure.
I don't know, maybe
they don't know each other.
Oh, come on, man.
We established the suits.
I know, but one of them
had the bright idea
to take the train,
and now they have to hang out
with people that they're
normally paid to hang out with.
Where you work,
at the end of the day,
how many people are you dying
to hang out with more?
-Not many.
-Exactly.
Yeah, but, I mean,
look around, all right?
Everybody's either get
their headphones in,
or they're on their cell phone.
I think they just want
a little break, you know?
A little time off
before they have to go do
whatever miserable task they
have to do today.
But they could be talking
to each other.
You know, being people,
acting like humans.
A lot of people on here,
you wanna make friends with?
Look, humans crave interaction.
Standing around a crowd
full of people just staring
at your hand computer,
it doesn't qualify.
How about that guy?
You wanna be friends
with that guy?
Yeah, I think he looks nice.
Probably checking his stocks.
[chuckles]
[Tom] Or posting what he had
for breakfast on his blog.
I guarantee you,
most these people,
just looking at porn.
Early morning train porn.
That's pretty terrible.
I'm Aaron, by the way.
John. Nice to meet you.
All right, all right.
Just do it, man, just do it.
-[buzz]
-[man screams]
[phone rings]
-This is Tom.
-[woman] Hey, Tom.
Hey, Maya. What's up?
So, I finally got
Clarke's address.
-[Tom] Oh, great. Thank you.
-Yeah, it wasn't easy.
A lawyer always has
a better lawyer than they are,
and this Clarke guy
is no slouch.
Bauer, Vincent, Parks, & Smith
is a good get.
But your lawyer
can beat up his lawyer?
[Maya] My lawyer is pushing 70
and is about to lose his foot
to diabetes.
He's not beating anybody up,
but he can take your house
pretty easily.
-You got a pen?
-[Tom] Yeah, got it.
[Maya] 1065 Edison Drive.
So, what do you want
with his home address, anyway?
Nothing weird.
[Maya] Well, now I definitely
think it's something weird.
-It's not.
-Mm? Why then?
[Tom] I just wanna get a better
sense of the guy, you know?
Find out where he lives,
what he's about.
All right.
Hey, did you get
any more information
on Belming International?
[Maya]
Not yet. I'm still looking.
[Tom] Okay, thanks.
How are you doing?
Everything okay?
Yeah, yeah. I'm good, you know?
I gotta get back to work here,
so I'm gonna--
Okay, yeah. I'll see you soon.
[Tom] All right, thanks.
[taps key]
[man on video screams]
[Maya] The guy had
a lawyer on the scene
before the cops even showed up.
And the first cop there botched
the whole thing completely.
He let the lawyer
totally take over.
Thank you.
They can't prove
whether he was drunk or high
or whatever the fuck he was.
He didn't even check
to see if you were alive.
The first thing he did
was call his lawyer.
Tom.
This guy's gonna walk.
[Tom] Narcotics can make
the time pass strangely.
I was in the hospital
for a while,
watching that little crappy TV
they have,
the one that's somehow too loud
and muffled at the same time.
Watched a lot
of Fantasy Island.
How long were you in there?
[Tom] A month and a half.
Then what did you do?
Uh, you know, I went home.
I watched more TV.
Messed around on the internet.
You know,
stalked people I used to know,
looking at pictures
of degenerates
I went to high school with,
checking in
with the people at work,
seeing how they were doing.
[therapist] How's work going?
Fine.
Same as it was before.
What is it you do exactly?
I work in logistics
for manufacturing companies.
So, I move theoretical objects
from one spreadsheet
to the next.
Kind of like pills
and television,
my job makes
the time pass strangely.
Is that what you are doing,
passing time?
[Tom]
That's what we're all doing.
You know, we look for something
just interesting enough
to keep our attention
until it's time to eat or sleep.
I don't think
that's how most people
would describe their lives.
Then most people
aren't being honest.
Work, TV, exercise, porn.
We look for something
to mildly struggle against
until we get sleepy again.
Hmm.
So how is
your mild struggle going?
That's the problem,
because for a while there,
I almost had it.
I was happy.
I was content with my life.
Before the accident, I had just
the right amount of angst
for some slight motivation.
And now?
Just after the accident,
all the stuff I enjoyed,
the stuff that defined me,
it all seems so trivial now.
Now I want to do something
that holds
some kind of meaning for me.
Maybe you need to meet
some new people.
Let's find a hobby, a project.
Then don't put so much on it.
If you find something
you enjoy doing,
you'll find meaning.
[somber music plays]
[alarm goes off]
[pensive music plays]
[ambulance siren wailing
in the distance]
Hey, Rami. How's it going?
-Good, man. How are you, Tom?
-Good.
Hey, you ride a bike, right?
Uh, yes. I ride a bike.
Right. Do you know of any
riding groups around town?
Yeah, yeah.
Riding groups are great.
I'm in one.
It's called the Night Riders.
We ride around only at night.
Get it, Night Riders.
Yeah, I get it.
We meet downtown every Wednesday
just right across the city.
You should join us sometimes.
See if you like it.
-That sounds pretty good.
-Great.
[people talking indistinctively]
Hey, hey, hey.
Tom, you made it.
I'm glad, bud. Right on.
-Glad you made it, man.
-Yeah.
Listen, I think
we're about to get started.
Just remember you wanna
stay close to the pack, okay?
Like, safety in numbers.
A lot of the drivers get aggro
when we come out in full force.
So, just have a good time.
-Yeah.
[pensive music plays]
[sighs]
[sad music plays]
[somber music plays]
[ominous music plays]
[therapist] You haven't told me
much about your wife.
-No?
-[therapist] No.
In fact, you haven't
even mentioned her name.
Really? I thought I had.
No.
Uh, Beth.
Elizabeth, actually,
uh, but, her name was Beth.
Would you like
to talk about her?
Not really.
People deal with the loss
of a loved one in a lot of ways.
There's no one path.
At least tell me
how you've been dealing with it.
I'm just trying
to put it past me.
Just looking at what is directly
in front of me
and try not to focus
too much on it.
You know, distract myself
with work, or idle, whatever.
You know, a lot of people wanna
triage their feelings at first.
It's normal to compartmentalize
them someplace
so that you can
get by in the moment.
But at some point,
everyone has to deal
with those feelings.
Or what?
Or you're miserable.
Or you make everyone
around you miserable.
Or you do something
you might regret later.
I'm just trying to move on
to whatever the next part
of my life is gonna be.
And what is moving on
look like to you?
I don't know.
I had a wife and now I don't,
and there's nothing
I can do about that.
No, there's not.
But there's a lot you can do
to accept that reality
without being destroyed by it.
You're never gonna be okay
with what happened,
but it can't be a fresh wound
every time you think about it.
How do I do that?
[therapist]
It's different for everyone.
I mean, some people need to feel
that what happened
wasn't a random act,
a part of something bigger,
a greater plan.
I'm not exactly religious.
Others need to forgive someone,
whether that's themselves,
or even the person who's gone.
Some people need to hold
someone responsible.
Like a victim of a violent crime
going to a parole hearing.
That sort of thing.
Knowing someone
has been held responsible
can be helpful for them.
You mean someone to blame?
[Maya] He's a lawyer
at a pretty big firm,
Bauer, Vincent, Parks, & Smith.
Weird, right?
We'll be able to fight
a lawsuit with the court
in a couple of days.
Insurance company
will wanna settle, but--
I'm not suing anybody.
Why not?
Honestly, look at yourself.
I have insurance,
he has insurance.
It was a car accident.
-Tom, let me help.
-[Tom] I upped my meds.
They're starting
to kick in so much,
I gotta get some sleep, okay?
[Aaron] I thought Mr. Roarke was
supposed to be immortal, right?
I think so.
I know he had
a bunch of ghost friends
and, like, a dead girlfriend
that he'd talk to a bunch.
I think even the devil showed up
in one episode or something.
[Aaron chuckles]
Remember when they replaced
Tattoo with Mr. Belvedere?
-[chuckling] No.
-Yeah.
God, what a weird show.
Kind of dark
for an island getaway.
Sure.
Look at this guy.
[alarm goes off]
[peaceful music plays]
How's it going? Getting back
into the swing of things?
I think so. Yeah.
Yeah, making some changes.
Wasn't there like a little guy
that did a--
There was a frog, did, uh--
Flips. Right. I like that thing.
-[chuckles]
-You can have it if you want it.
No, thanks. I'm all right.
So, I was thinking,
I'd like to have you and Rami
do a couple of presentations.
Oh, yeah?
[George] I think it might be
good for some of the newer guys
to see what you two do
to keep clients happy.
I spoke with Rami already.
He's gonna do something
on getting time-sensitive
material to clients.
Sure.
[George] And I thought you could
do something on the cost side.
You know, package buying,
shipping routes,
a lot of the stuff
you were doing before you left.
-Okay.
-[George] Good. That's great.
And I don't wanna put
too much pressure on this,
but I've narrowed the promotion
down to you two guys.
-Really?
-[George] Yeah.
And this presentation
is, you know.
Yeah.
[George]
Rami's really worked hard.
He's been giving me
the full-court press.
Truth be told,
I don't know that he's the guy
and I wanted you
to have an opportunity
to get full consideration.
I appreciate that.
You know, I don't really want
any special treatment because...
No, no. I know.
Just kill this presentation,
huh?
I will. Won't let you down.
[somber music plays]
[alarm goes off]
[sighs]
Is it weird that I think
I made a new friend recently?
No, it's not that weird
to make new friends.
It's just been a long time
since I have made a friend.
Not really sure
I still know how.
What's to know?
Well, normally I'm not
a big fan of talking to people.
The whole thing feels
very elementary school to me.
You've been through
a big change in your life,
and you've been distant
from other people for a while.
It's good to meet new people.
I guess so.
So, how did you two meet?
Just a guy I've been talking
to on the train.
Does that thing
make your hair look funny?
No. Why?
Does my hair look funny?
I don't know what your hair
looks like normally.
Does it normally look like that?
Yeah, probably.
Well, then, it's fine.
How do you get around
on the train without a bike?
I walk.
-Really?
-Yeah.
And the mass transit here
is pretty bad.
I can barely do it with a bike.
[Aaron] Ah, it's not that bad.
Plus, I mean, I'd--
I'd feel silly riding a bike.
You'd rather walk
for miles than feel silly?
[Aaron]
Well, walking's good for you.
And I don't want my hair
to look funny.
Ha.
I thought you said my hair
didn't look funny.
No, no, no. I said I didn't know
what your hair
looked like normally.
Two different things.
So what's the deal with you?
Why the bike?
What do you mean?
Well, you don't really strike me
as the environmental hippie
type.
I was in a car accident
not too long ago,
and it was pretty bad.
I didn't really feel
like getting back in a car,
so I got a bike.
-I'm sorry.
-Nah, it's fine.
How about you? Your story.
Oh, no, man.
You story is much better.
Hmm. Try me.
Can't drive.
You never learned how?
No, no. I know how to drive.
I just can't do it responsibly.
They took away my license
and forced me
to ride this thing.
What'd you do?
Ah, nothing, just--
Just got
too many parking tickets.
-That's a lot of tickets.
-Yeah. Yeah, it was.
[somber music plays]
[therapist]
Why don't you tell me
a little more about Beth?
Don't really know what to say.
Um...
She was smart.
She was very smart, actually.
Certainly, smarter than I am.
Are you married?
[chuckles]
Yes.
Happily?
I make it a point not to talk
about my personal life
with patients.
Right.
We were happy.
At least, I think we were.
You know, I was happy.
We got married pretty young.
[sighs]
She got pregnant
while we were still in school,
so I dropped out and got a job,
and then we got married.
-You have children?
-No.
Um, she had a miscarriage
not long after the wedding.
That must have been hard.
Yeah, yeah. It was.
We got married
to start a family,
and that didn't happen.
But she went back to school,
I went back to work.
She went on to graduate school,
she got two degrees,
and then went on to law school.
She was smart.
She was a lawyer?
Yeah.
She landed a pretty great job
with a fancy law firm.
O'Brien, Baxter and Williams.
Oh, wow.
You know it?
Yeah, I've heard of it,
actually.
-Did any of that bother you?
-What?
That you didn't finish school.
That you had to work
while she did.
That she went on to be a lawyer.
No.
I hated school.
It wasn't for me.
I was proud of her.
I was happy to do whatever
I thought would make her happy.
We gotta go!
We're gonna be late!
I know. I'm almost done.
It's just I know
I'm gonna get sat
next to some dummy tonight
whose only interests are
TV shows about other dummies.
I can just feel it.
I know how you feel
about dummies,
but this is for charity.
We can be miserable together.
It's what marriage
is all about, right?
Yeah.
[cell phone ringing]
I have to take this.
It'll just be a minute.
-Hi, hold on.
-When did you get a--
I'll just be one second.
This isn't a good time.
I bet you got it
put it together.
You got a job. You wear a suit.
You married?
No. You?
Yeah.
How's it going?
It's all right, I guess.
"It's all right, I guess"?
Is that what it says on the
anniversary card you gave her?
No, it's not going as well
as I would have hoped.
What's the problem?
I'm an asshole.
And?
And it's marriage.
And she didn't know
I was an asshole.
So, she's not that bright?
That's nice. Thank you.
Look, I don't know, we--
Things get old.
We didn't know each other
that well going into it, and--
I fucked up.
A number of times,
and now, I'm--
We're working a thing.
Good luck with that.
[Rami] Piggyback your shipments.
So, what does that mean?
What does that mean?
Piggyback your shipments.
The closer you can fly materials
to the site,
the faster and cheaper
it'll be for your clients.
Now, getting components
for a complex
manufacturing process
on time and close to the site,
that's a bit of an art form
unto itself.
But if you can time
multiple shipments
to multiple clients
flying on the same flight
to the same hub
and delivery route,
they'll share the expense,
and not know it.
Their cost goes down.
It's on time,
and they think, you're...
...a genius.
[all chuckle]
I think I really kicked ass
on that presentation.
Yeah, man. You were good.
Yeah, I've been doing
some research
on the optimum frequency
of jokes
in the corporate presentation.
-How's your presentation going?
-Good, good.
I'm not gonna have
any pig analogies or anything,
but it'll be fine.
[laughs]
Yeah, I don't know
where that stuff comes from.
It just sort of occurs to me.
I took a workshop on Photoshop
at a community college,
-I think it really paid off.
-Good for you, man.
Yeah.
You ready to go?
Definitely gonna be late now.
[sighs]
I don't wanna go.
-What?
-I'm not feeling well.
And I would like for you
to go without me, please.
[sighs]
I really need you to go, okay?
I told George
we were both gonna go.
Oh, wow.
God forbid we let George down.
[stutters]
What's your problem with George?
I thought you liked him.
-Well, I'm not going.
-Yeah, you are.
I said we're going,
and we're going.
[Beth scoffs]
I'm not going to George's
stupid fucking charity thing.
[Beth sighs]
What is happening right now?
Nothing.
Why were you using
a different cell phone?
What?
You were using
a different cell phone just now.
It's a phone, it's for work.
-You never told me that.
-Yes, I did.
You wanna go to the thing,
let's go to the fucking thing.
Come on.
[somber music plays]
Hey, can I get a beer?
Thanks.
[sad music plays]
[cell phone chimes]
[Tom] How long
have you been married?
I told you we're not going
to talk about my personal life.
Right.
I mean,
don't some of your patients
find it unsettling that you know
so much about them
and they don't know
anything about you?
Do you?
-Yeah.
-Why?
[Tom] For all intents
and purposes, you're a stranger.
I mean, no one knows
all this stuff about me.
Didn't you just befriend
a stranger on a train?
Yeah, and that's just a guy
I shoot the chute with
on the way to work.
I'm not gonna talk to him
about my dead wife.
Maybe you should.
Yeah, well, I'm not going to.
Come on, how long
have you been married?
This is not that hard.
Ten years.
That's great.
What's the average like, eight?
Something like that.
How long
were you and Beth married?
Eight years.
Does your husband cheat on you?
That's totally inappropriate.
Well, would you know
that if he did?
Yes, I'd like to think
that I would.
Did Beth cheat on you?
Yeah.
Yeah, she did.
[Maya] Tom, listen.
I'm sorry, but Beth
was having an affair.
[exhales]
What?
She told you that?
[Maya] It wasn't
my place to tell you.
She was my friend.
I'm sorry. I really am.
F-- For how long?
I think it'd been going on
for some time.
Jesus! I loved her. We had--
We had a whole life together.
I know. She told me
that she was ending it.
She felt terrible.
She really did.
She loved you, too.
Did she say who?
[Maya] No, she wouldn't tell me.
She just said it was someone
that she had known for a while.
Fuck.
Tom, do you remember
Beth going to Rosemont?
Someplace up north.
Yeah, I guess she had a client
up there or something.
Belming Industries,
-I brought her that client.
-Okay.
That's where she would go
to meet him.
She would fake a business trip
up there and go see him.
Come on, Maya.
Why are you telling me this?
The guy who hit you and Beth,
Clarke.
Remember I told you
that he worked
for Bauer, Vincent,
Parks, & Smith?
Yeah.
Well, BVP&S does a lot of work
for Belming Industries.
Clarke's firm
had the same client.
Wait, you're telling me
that Beth knew him?
[Maya] There's no such thing
as a coincidence.
Clarke is the guy.
Okay, even if he was the guy
that she was...
...with,
it doesn't prove anything.
Well, if he's not going to jail,
we can sue the shit out of him.
He has to be held accountable.
I know.
[tense music plays]
[Tom] Basically, I have to track
how many units of each component
they need for all the products
they manufacture.
Then you have to time
the arrival
at the exact right time
in the manufacturing process
to maximize the efficiency.
That sounds as boring
as all hell.
And what I do is really boring.
Sure. I mean, it's not fun.
Did you go to go
to school for that?
People go to school to learn
how to waste their lives,
moving theoretical objects,
across columns
of arbitrary numbers?
Yeah, I think they probably do.
Not me. I just needed a job.
-What do you do?
-I'm a lawyer.
Corporate law.
I make sure people
with insane amounts of money
can make more money
without anybody
knowing about it.
-Sounds like fun.
-It is not.
It's soul-crushing,
but it's a living.
I bet it is.
[somber music plays]
[man] Change the transparency
of the smaller picture
and place it to the right
of the original picture.
You can find a States seal
a bunch of places online
or you can just go--
-Hey, man.
-Hey, how's it going?
-Good.
-How's the presentation coming?
-Good.
-Yeah? What do you got so far?
Want me to take a look?
Bounce some ideas off me.
Right now,
it's still preliminary.
Um, still getting
the numbers in and whatnot.
Oh.
Well, you know it's next week.
I don't think I can push it.
You sure
you're gonna be ready by then?
Yeah, I know. I-- It'll be fine.
You know, I'm getting
some research in later today,
and then
I'm just gonna bang it out.
Okay, if you say so.
Just let me know
if you need some help,
or feedback, or something.
I will. Thanks, George.
Yeah.
Hey, you got a little stain
or something
on your shirt there.
Thanks.
[sad song plays]
Bye, honey. Love you.
Bye. Good day.
You too.
[engine starts]
[beeping]
[Tom] My airbag went off
during the accident.
I've heard a lot of people
complain about, you know,
airbags being too powerful.
A lot of broken noses
after fender benders.
Seems like a small price to pay.
Yeah, I guess so.
Beth's airbag didn't go off.
Some cars don't have
passenger side airbags.
Was it an older car?
No, it was only
a couple of years old.
It had a passenger airbag.
It just didn't go off.
Something was wrong with it.
[PA] The next stop will be
Spring State.
[beeping]
[hissing]
[somber music plays]
-This is Maya.
-Hey, can you do me a favor?
[Maya] Yeah, what's up?
Can you find out a little more
about this guy, Clarke?
Sure. Why?
[Tom] You're right,
it can't be a coincidence.
I just wanna know
if this is the guy.
I thought you didn't wanna
sue anyone.
Let's just find out
a little more about him
and we can go from there, okay?
-Like what?
-[Tom] Whatever you can find.
[sighs]
Who he is? Where does he go?
What does he do?
Is he married? Who his wife is?
I just wanna get
a better idea of the guy.
I don't know, maybe his wife
should know about him.
I just need something to do,
I'm bored out of my mind.
Get a cat.
-[Tom] I hate cats.
-[Maya chuckles]
Can you just see
what you can find out, please?
Okay. Yeah, I will.
Thanks.
[tense music plays]
[dialing tone]
[Tom] Hello?
Hey, George. It's Tom.
[George] Tom, holy cow.
Hey, how are you, buddy?
[Tom] I'm good, thanks.
Hey, I was thinking
about coming back to work.
[George] Oh, wow.
Okay. That's great news.
Everyone will be really excited
to have you back.
-When were you thinking?
-[Tom] Tomorrow?
[George] Oh, um, sure. Great.
Do you need anything?
You need a ride
to the office or something?
No, no, thanks. I'm good.
[tense music plays]
[electric shaver buzzes]
[hiss]
[PA] The next stop
will be Market Street.
[beeping]
[PA] Westside-bound train.
Hey.
Hey.
What are you doing here?
This is my train.
I'm heading home.
What are you doing here?
I'm just going home.
I leave work at different times
every day,
but I'm always on this train.
I take this train
every single night.
You're telling me you're
on this train every single night
and I haven't seen you once?
Yeah, how is that possible?
I don't know. It's weird.
[chuckling] Yeah.
Tell me more
about your car accident.
[sighs]
I was pretty mad
when I left the house that day.
We both were.
Why? What were you angry about?
We had just been in an argument.
What about?
We were supposed to go
to this charity event
that my boss throws every year,
and she didn't wanna go.
So why did you?
Because it was work,
because I was mad,
We were getting ready to go,
and she was acting weird
about something,
and then suddenly
she didn't wanna go.
And I don't know why.
What happened next?
We got in my car.
I made us take my car.
Why your car?
Why would that matter?
[Tom] She hated my car.
It embarrassed her.
I know it's childish.
I've never cared about cars.
You know, cheap, reliable,
that's fine.
But she had to have
something expensive.
That's another reason
to fight, I guess.
I knew that the airbag light
had been going off for a while--
The passenger airbag and--
You know,
I was meaning to fix it,
but, you know, I couldn't get it
to the mechanic until Monday,
and I just wasn't thinking,
I was mad.
You couldn't have known
you were going to be
in a car accident.
No, but if I
hadn't have done that,
she'd be alive right now.
You didn't know
what was going to happen.
You were angry,
and you were in an accident.
It's unfortunate, but those are
two different things.
Look, I know you've been having
a hard time
and after finding out
about Beth's affair,
I'm sure you've been dealing
with a few things.
Guilt, betrayal.
But you loved her, right?
Yeah, I did.
That's important.
And just because Beth
was unfaithful,
it doesn't mean
that she didn't love you.
Sometimes people get lost.
This was a car accident,
and it was terrible,
but it wasn't your fault.
I made us go.
And she didn't want to,
and for some reason,
I made us go.
Let's take my car.
No, I wanna drive.
-Come on, just get in.
-I don't wanna take your car.
Look, will you fucking,
please, just stop?
Just stop arguing. Can we go?
[alarm beeps]
[car horn honks]
-[Tom] Morning.
-Morning.
Oh, hey. Are you ready?
You want me to help you set up?
-Set up what?
-Your presentation.
It starts in an hour.
Uh, right. No, I'm good. Thanks.
[somber music plays]
Uh, sorry, it's gonna be
a couple seconds here.
If you wanna take
one of those, you can.
[clears his throat]
[clears his throat]
Uh, saving your clients' money.
Everybody likes that, right?
You like that,
and they like that.
It's what everybody wants.
They want to save money
on shipping
and they want discounts
on products and parts.
Um...
But shipping
is expensive because...
[clears his throat]
...China is far away
And that's what makes
the shipping so expensive.
China is very far away.
Actually, China...
They make everything.
There's not much
we can do about that.
But your clients
are probably saving money
on that cheap labor, right?
So, if they wanted to...
...continue to save money,
they could outsource
some
of the manufacturing process
or they could invest...
...in robots.
Oh, question.
Are you suggesting
we tell our clients
that if they want
cheaper shipping,
they should fire
more people and buy robots?
Yes, and hire
more foreign workers.
Any other questions?
Great. Thank you.
I've been thinking
about buying a car maybe.
Really?
That's kind of a big step
for you, right?
Yeah.
I've been hanging on
to this insurance money
and I think it's about time.
Wow. So, you are gonna make me
have to find someone else
to talk to on this thing.
What's gonna happen
to your helmet?
You can borrow it.
I don't think I'm gonna stop
taking the train.
It's kind of grown on me.
It'd be nice to have a car
to drive every once in a while,
though.
That's great, man. Good for you.
Thanks.
Think you'd want to go with me?
What, to buy a car?
I don't really have anyone else
to go with, honestly.
Yeah.
Yeah, man. I can do that.
I mean, I don't wanna
put you on the spot.
You don't have to.
I know it's probably
kind of weird.
No.
I mean, it is super weird, but--
[chuckles]
No, I'm happy to go.
Thanks.
[somber music plays]
[printer working]
Here, take this.
-Can we just walk?
-No, no, it's way too far away.
Takes forever.
Come on, this will be fun.
Yeah, fun for you.
That's what I mean.
This will be fun for me.
This all just an elaborate plan
to get me to wear
your stupid helmet?
Yep.
All right, hang on.
Just take it easy.
All right, all right,
quit moving.
Just-- Oh, God.
-[Tom grunting] Okay.
-[Aaron] Be careful.
-[Tom grunting] Oh, boy.
-[Aaron] Ah, this feels great.
[Tom] Oh man.
[Aaron] Yeah, it's much better
than walking. This is great.
[Tom] Yeah.
Oh, God.
All right.
Okay, all right, that's it.
That's it.
Here you are.
That was fun, right?
No. Here.
Hi, there. Anything
I can help you two with today?
Yeah, I think I wanna buy a car.
What you thinking about?
Four-door? Automatic?
I got a great selection of SUVs.
How about that one?
That is 10,999.
I was hoping
to play it closer to nine.
Yeah, these are pretty
aggressively priced as it is.
They're all certified pre-owned.
I mean, I can show you--
This is the same car
in your website, right?
-Oh.
-That is the right place?
Yeah, that's us.
[Aaron] Let's see.
That is what the same car
is going for around town.
-[man] Hmm.
-So...
Yeah, I was thinking,
like, nine.
You wanna test drive it
or something?
-I think I'm good.
-He's decisive.
All right.
-Come on.
-That was easy.
-She is all yours.
-Thank you.
[somber music plays]
You all right?
Yeah.
[beeping]
[tense music plays]
-Hey, Tom.
-Hey. Hey, how's it going?
-How you feeling? Okay?
-Good.
Good. I'm glad. Yeah.
Listen, Tom, do you, uh, think
maybe you came back to work
a little too early
after your accident?
No.
What do you mean?
[sighing]
You're not the same guy.
You're just not.
Coming in late every day,
you leave early.
Okay, uh, well the train
is unpredictable, you know,
it can be late and it's--
it's inconsistent.
But I think I figured it out.
The past three reports
you turned in were a mess.
Totally wrong. They--
They didn't make any sense.
I had Rami redo them.
Clients are complaining.
What's going on?
I'm having a hard time, okay?
I'm preoccupied.
It's understandable.
You've been through a lot.
Why don't you take
some more time off?
Another month or so.
Okay, this is not
gonna happen again.
I'm gonna call these guys
right now,
and this is gonna be fine.
It's not fine. I can't have it.
I--
I knew when you came back,
it was too early.
Okay, you don't understand,
George.
I have to work, okay?
I have to come here every day.
Tom, I'm sorry.
Listen, take a vacation
or something.
-See a shrink.
-I'm seeing a shrink.
See another one.
Look, call me in a month
and we'll see where we're at,
all right?
Yeah.
[somber music plays]
[sniffs]
[car horn honks]
[cell phone ringing]
[sighs]
[sighs]
Hello?
-Why aren't you at work?
-[Tom] Uh...
I took a leave of absence.
[Maya]
I thought you just took one.
-Uh, I did.
-[Maya] What happened?
Why are you taking
another leave of absence?
I don't know, they told me
to take some more time off.
[Maya] Why? What did you do?
Nothing.
Well, you had a job
and now you don't.
That doesn't happen by itself.
I don't know, I need
to take care of some things
so they gave me
some more time off.
What's really
happening here, Tom?
What are you up to?
[Tom sighing]
What are you talking about?
You got me snooping around
this guy's life,
you wanna know his home address,
you wanna know
stuff about his wife.
I thought we were prepping
for a lawsuit.
We are.
[Maya] Well, this is not how I
normally prepare to sue someone.
I'm fine, okay?
I'm sad.
My wife is dead and I'm sad.
I'm not crazy.
I'm not gonna do anything.
I'm just sad. I'm grieving.
Are you gonna tell me
how to grieve now?
No.
No. I--
I'm sorry.
I'm just trying to help.
And I'm sad too.
I know you are.
And I seem to be the only one
to give a shit
about you right about now.
Beth would want someone
to look after you.
Maybe--
Maybe
you should talk to someone.
You mean like a shrink?
[Maya] Yeah, like a shrink.
I'll think about it.
How are you feeling
about things?
Good.
Things are, you know, okay.
All right.
Would you like to talk
about anything today?
Yeah.
That's refreshing.
What's on your mind?
You.
-We have been over this.
-[Tom] I know.
I was thinking
about what you said.
And just because Beth
was cheating on me
doesn't mean
that she didn't love me.
And that's probably right.
But it also doesn't mean
that she necessarily wanted
to be with me either.
That could be true.
I think it is.
So, if you lose the person
that doesn't wanna be with you,
regardless of how it happens,
don't you still deserve
to be with someone
who wants to be with you?
Yes, I think that you do.
I think so too.
I'm still not sure what we're
talking about right now.
[Tom] I know.
[alarm goes off]
[somber music]
[crossing bell ringing]
Hey, you wanna get a drink
after work tonight?
What, on Wednesday?
I just got this promotion
and I wanna celebrate.
A promotion?
That's great! Congratulations!
Thanks.
It was down to me
and this other guy.
We had to give
this big presentation
to audition for it.
Sounds like it went pretty well.
Yeah, I think it did.
Yeah, man. Let's get a drink.
Let's celebrate.
Great.
Your wife won't mind?
No, no. I doubt she'll
even notice I'm not there.
[Tom] All right.
So, I'll meet you here
at like 8:00
or 8:15 or something?
-Yeah, that sounds great, man.
-See you then.
-See you then.
-All right. Bye.
[PA] The next stop
will be Market Street.
[beeping]
[PA] Metro center-bound train.
[somber music plays]
Hi, man.
[Aaron chuckles]
You're gonna make me ride
your handlebars again?
No, I actually brought my car.
There's a great bar
up the corner here.
Nice.
You're not using
this thing much, are you?
No, no, not much.
I leave it at the office a lot,
you know,
in case I'm gonna
work late or something.
Here we go.
[exhales]
It's Wednesday, right?
-To Wednesday.
-Yeah.
No.
-To your promotion.
-Thanks.
I guess worse comes to worse, we
can always take the train home.
Or we can pull out my bike,
make you ride
the handlebars again.
No.
You know you can get arrested
for riding a bike drunk?
Really? It's dumb.
I can fall off and hurt myself.
It's a victimless crime.
Yeah, except you'd throw me
on an oncoming traffic,
cause a 17-car pileup.
[Tom chuckles]
That would be bad.
He seems to be making progress.
I think he's starting to find
closure with his wife, but...
There's some pain there.
Finding out after she died
that she had been cheating
on him was a blow, I'm sure.
But there's something else
going on,
something he's not ready
to talk about.
Our last session was strange.
I don't know, it's like
it's not-- it's not her fault.
I mean, how long do marriages
last these days, anyway?
-What, eight years?
-Something like that.
She works a lot. I work a lot.
I don't really think
she likes me very much anymore.
Did some things
I shouldn't have and...
...now I'm paying for it.
But you love her, right?
Yeah.
You wouldn't wanna lose her.
You're right.
Losing someone is hard.
There's a story there.
What happened?
Was she the one to sit
on your handlebars?
She died.
Oh.
Man, I--
I'm so--
God, I am such an asshole.
Man, I'm-- I'm--
It's okay,
you couldn't have known.
No, but still it's not-- I'm--
I'm sorry, man.
It was hard,
you know, it was sudden.
Didn't see it coming.
That's just-- that's awful.
Are you doing okay?
Yeah.
It was hard at first, but...
I think I'm turning the corner.
Yeah. Yeah.
You got a promotion, you know,
so things are looking up.
Yeah, they are.
Cheers.
-You ready for another one?
-Yeah, yeah, sure.
[exhales]
Two more please.
Thanks.
Here you go.
Oh, how much do I owe you?
Don't worry about it.
You get the next one.
Cheers.
[somber music plays]
Hey, honey.
Yeah,
I'm gonna have to work late.
Shit, man, I fucked up.
It's my fault.
The whole thing.
I did something terrible.
It couldn't have been that bad.
[Aaron] You don't know!
You don't know what I did.
[somber music plays]
-Hey, you all right?
-[Aaron exhales]
I'm wasted-- Why the fuck
did I get so wasted?
Let's get you out of here
before your wife
starts to worry.
She ain't gonna worry.
[somber music plays]
[crickets chirping]
[somber music plays]
[Tom groans]
[tense music plays]
[pants]
Yeah, it's--
It's Aaron Clarke.
It's Aaron Clarke. Uh...
There's been an accident.
I need to-- Uh...
I'm in trouble.
I need you to get
down here right now.
No, I need you
to get down here right now!
Look, I--
I'm in trouble.
I'm--
[pants]
[tense music plays]
[Tom] Beth.
Beth.
Help!
Help!
I need help!
[crickets chirping]
[somber music plays]
[Tom] Hey, this is Tom. I can't
get to the phone right now.
But if you leave a message,
I'll get back to you
as soon as I can. Thanks.
[beep]
Tom, hey. Give me a call
when you get this.
It's important.
Clarke's lawyer finally
started cooperating some.
Belming was never his client.
And I checked through the dates
Beth was in Rosemont.
He wasn't there.
Doesn't look
like they know each other.
I think we got it wrong.
[woman] Where is your friend?
-I'm sorry?
-Your friend.
You two always travel together.
I don't know, he--
He's probably at home, I guess.
[tense music plays]
He got a DUI two years ago.
He's done pretty well
for himself.
Two cars paid off,
a reasonably-sized mortgage.
His wife's a therapist.
Like a doctor?
[Maya]
Yeah, she's a psychiatrist.
[Tom] Hmm.
Private practice or hospital?
[Maya] I don't know.
Why do you wanna know
about his wife?
[Tom] No reason.
[somber music plays]
[beep]
[Beth]
George, please stop calling me.
I can't do it anymore.
He's still my husband
and he's still your friend.
It's not right.
And I still love him,
or at least
I'm gonna try this time.
Goodbye, George, I'm sorry.
[tense music plays]
-Hey.
-Hey.
[somber music plays]
[solemn music plays]
[pensive music plays]